Updated Sunday night, Sept. 27: The Houston Astros are American League West champions.

Texas entered the final day tied with Houston at 80-81 and needed a win plus an Astros loss to reach October. The Rangers instead lost 6-4 to the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. Associated Press via CBS Sports confirms Josh Bell drove in three runs and Dean Kremer worked seven strong innings as Minnesota finished 77-85. That loss eliminated Texas at 80-82 and mathematically locked Houston into the division — Houston also held the head-to-head tiebreaker.

The Astros completed the day with a 9-0 rout of the Athletics at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento, finishing 81-81. Sportsnet and the Associated Press both report it is Houston's return to the postseason after missing 2025. Lucas Spence drove in two runs with a two-run triple; Christian Walker homered; Yordan Alvarez added an RBI single and finished as the major-league batting leader at .316, per the Sportsnet/AP wrap.

Both clubs reached the final day at .500 or worse, and Houston becomes the first team in a non-shortened season to win a division at exactly .500. A mid-September three-game lead had melted under sweeps by Tampa Bay and Atlanta before Houston's closing road trip to Seattle and West Sacramento steadied the race.

Where to watch next: Houston hosts the Chicago White Sox in a best-of-three Wild Card Series beginning Tuesday at Daikin Park (first pitch listed around 4 p.m. CT / 5 p.m. ET on MLB Network and team listings). Check MLB.com and local TV grids for Game 1 audio/video windows.

AP/CBS and Sportsnet agree on the clinch path: Rangers loss first, Astros 9-0 win second, Houston 81-81, Texas out at 80-82. Accounts still differ on how much weight to give the historic .500 division mark versus Houston's late pitching depth — names such as Ethan Pecko and Miguel Ullola in the AP notes — until Wild Card Game 1 sets the tone.